The NFL has punished the Atlanta Falcons for their questionable usage of rookie Bijan Robinson when they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7.
The first-year running back had just one carry for three yards in that game and wasn’t quite himself. The league has fined the team, as well as head coach Arthur Smith for not revealing that the player was not 100 percent before the game.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Falcons have been hit with a $75,000 fine while Smith has been fined $25,000 as a result of their violating the NFL’s injury report policy before the fixture.
“As we got through warm-ups and early on, he wasn’t feeling like himself,” Smith said after the win. “We weren’t going to overdo it.”
The player told reporters he had begun “feeling weird” the night before the game and dealt with headaches, also claiming he woke up “feeling completely out of it.” He said he was still in pain even after taking medicine.
The Falcons were required to report that the player was ill even if his problems developed the night before the game. CBS’ Jonathan Jones explained as much in October.
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While the Falcons were able to pull off a win without Robinson playing significant snaps, fantasy players and bettors were likely upset.
